Public to comment on split ferry fares

Ferry system proposes lower rates for Monday-Wednesday riders

Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islanders will get an opportunity next Wednesday, March 6 to tell Washington State Ferries what they think about a pricing structure in which fares would be kept at current levels Monday through Wednesday, then jump up the rest of the week.

Ferry officials insist that public input will determine whether the split rate system takes effect, according to Ray Deardorf, planning director for Washington State Ferries. The formal decision will be made by the state Transportation Commission on April 4, but the panel will have a complete reporting of islanders’ opinions before it makes its decision.

Only the San Juans is being considered for such an arrangement. Fares on all other routes served by Washington State Ferries will be constant all seven days a week.

But those riding other routes will be paying close attention to the San Juans proposal. Deardorf calls it a “pilot project” that some day could lead to lower fares during non-peak times of the day, says, the noon hour and late at night.

Long before next week’s meetings had been scheduled, a plan had been put forward to raise fares this year by 12 and one-half percent systemwide, and 17 and one-half percent for the San Juans. The islands face a bigger fare increase because of a state commitment to what it terms “route equity.”

The plan, now in its second year of implementation and subject to annual reviews, represents an effort to raise riders’ overall share of operating costs from 60 to 80 percent over a six-year period.

Many islanders criticized the plan last year, expressing fear that it would ultimately force them to leave the islands. They left last year’s meetings feeling that Washington State Ferries wasn’t listening to their concerns.

Statistics gathered over the past year reveal that ridership barely dropped at all. Nevertheless, ferry officials felt it appropriate to devise a rate structure that would allow “some opportunities for people of limited incomes to travel at lower rates,” according to San Juan Ferry Advisory Chair Bob Distler. Distler explained that it represented an effort by the ferry system to respond to last year’s criticisms without jeopardizing Washington State Ferries’ ability to meet its revenue needs.

The split rate system, Distler contends, proves they were paying attention.

Here are the meeting formats

Format for all three two-hour meetings will consist of one-on-one and small group gatherings in which ferry staff members situated in different parts of the room will be available to answer questions and take comments from the public. This will be followed by a formal presentation to the group as a whole, and an opportunity for individuals to ask questions and make comments.

The initial plan called for limiting the session to the one-on-one and small group interactions. But Orcas islander Tim White, who attended the Ferry Advisory Committee meeting, objected. “I want the right to hear what others are saying,” White told the committee. “How do I find out what my neighbors are saying?”

County Commissioner Darcie Nielsen urged the ferry system to take a more flexible approach by devoting a portion of the meeting to taking public testimony.

The next morning, Feb. 22, Distler and Deardorf agreed during a phone conversation that the meetings needed to allow some time for public testimony. Distler presented that recommendation to San Juan County commissioners Feb. 26, after The Sounder went to press.

The ferry system is also soliciting input by postal mail, e-mail, telephone and FAX. Deadline to furnish the input is April 4, the day of the state Transportation Commission meeting.

One can contact Washington State Ferries at the following sources:

Postal Mail: Tariff Proposal, 2911 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

email

phone: 1 (888) 808-7977

FAX: (206) 515-3773

Proposed rates

Off season: Monday - Wednesday Thursday - Sunday

Anacortes - Lopez Car & Driver $17 $20

Anacortes - Orcas Car & Driver $23 $23.50

Anacortes - Friday Harbor Car & Driver $22.50 $26.50

Peak season: Monday - Wednesday - Thursday - Sunday

Anacortes - Lopez Car & Driver $23 $27

Anacortes - Orcas Car & Driver $27 $31.75

Anacortes - Friday Harbor Car & Driver $30.50 $36

Passenger Fares Year-Round: Monday - Wednesday Thursday - Sunday

Anacortes - all islands

$6.80 $8

Coupon Books: Monday - Wednesday Thursday - Sunday

Anacortes - all islands

$47.75 $56

Meeting places and times

Wednesday, March 6

Lopez American Legion Hall 10 a.m. - noon

Orcas Orcas Center 2 - 4 p.m.

Friday Harbor Mullis Community Center 6 - 8 p.m.

— Ted Grossman is editor of islandssounder.com and The Islands’ Sounder. He can be reached at (360) 376-4500 or email.

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